VeloMini Folding Electric Bike Brings Best of Both Worlds

For urban cyclists, there's the convenience of folding bikes that can easily fit inside an apartment, office cubicle, or subway car, and there's also the helpful ease of electric assist bikes which can get you to work without breaking much of a sweat. There aren't all that many bikes out there that offer both of these features, but breaking on to the scene is the Velomini, and it looks promising. The Velomini is a 14-kg folding electric bike with a 180-watt brushless hub motor. It can get to top speeds of around 12 mph, using a 24v 6AH lithium-ion battery that can charge up in three hours. Riders can also go for the fully manual pedal modes, or the electric assist to boost up the speed of the cyclist without pulling as much from the battery. It folds to just 18 inches tall and fits in a case about the same size as a guitar case.

Considering it is both folding and electric assist, these features seem impressive. Here's a video of it:

And a quick view of the steps for folding it:

The price point is rather high, at nearly $1,000. But considering some electric assist bikes run around $5,000 and many high end folding bikes at $1,500 or more, it doesn't seem so pricey.